Monday, December 29, 2014

It's that time of year. It's time
to reflect and set goals and intentions for the New Year. Since this month
marks my one year anniversary of blogging, it seems only appropriate to make my
final blog post of 2014 a reflection post. So, ladies and gentlemen, here's my
year in review.

In January, I hired a personal
trainer. I didn't really have an aesthetic or weight-related goal in mind. It
was more about becoming a better me. I knew I wanted to take up running and
possibly run my first race. Prior to January, I hadn't as much as run around
the block. But, I wanted to stretch myself to do something I didn't think I
could do. Well, it turns out I ran not one but two races this year, and have
two others in mind for the first quarter of 2015. I'm still not sure I'd call
myself a runner, but I definitely run, and that's a really cool aspect of
the new me.

Also, in early 2014, I became a
Zumba instructor. I figured I was already a class regular and dance was my
happy place. Why not make a part time living at it? In fact, I left my full
time salaried position and ventured into freelance work in order to make room
for a life of movement and exercise. I won't lie. It wasn't easy. There were
many meltdowns and moments of second guessing. But I can honestly say that it
was a sound decision. I'm happier and more fulfilled in my work life. Sure,
revisions will continue to be made, but I'm undoubtedly more aligned with my
passion than ever before.

My personal life in 2014 has
been...er...interesting. I witnessed single girlfriends who had nearly thrown
in the towel, meet and marry men they love within a period of months. Another
friend got pregnant and happily welcomed her first child. Other friends have
dated quite a bit and enjoyed every minute of it. My life, on the other hand,
has been crickets on the relational front. Even after reluctantly delving into
online dating, it's still been crickets. I'd love to say I handled this
gracefully. No. It frustrated me and a few more meltdowns ensued. But then, I
decided to embrace it. I intentionally reached out and rebuilt my social
network from the ground up. I cultivated new connections and deepened old ones.
I opened my home and hosted parties. It was all for the purpose of establishing
community. I wanted to feel like I could have an active social life and a sense
of family, with or without a mate. In reflecting on this year, I can say I have
that. I wanted the walls of my home filled with laughter and fellowship, so I
created it. I think that’s pretty awesome if I do say so myself.

All in all, it's been a good
year. Even with the emotional turns at each point, I can honestly say that I
accomplished everything I set out to do. I was intentional and I generally got
the results I wanted. This encourages me as I prepare myself for a new year. I'm
not huge on resolutions but I do set goals. And if I set goals and a game plan
to achieve them, I'm confident I will. So stay tuned folks. With all that's
happened in 2014, there's no telling what's in store for 2015!